Electro-deposition of the lithium metal anode on dendritic copper current collectors for lithium battery application

Abstract

Lithium metal is a promising material for high-energy density lithium battery application because of its high theoretical capacity value. However, during the cycling process, growth of lithium dendrites and change in volume are the two major issues lead to uncontrollable lithium deposition. These problems are directly linked to safety hazards and poor cycle stability. Here, we report the formation of dendritic copper current collectors by hydrogen evolution reactions for lithium metal anodes. The high-surface structure of the dendritic copper current collector facilitates the easy transfer of lithium ions and suppresses lithium dendrite formation. Compared to planar copper foil, the dendritic copper showing good cycling performance and cycle stability because of its low interfacial resistance and stable lithium electrode deposition. Lithium anode with the dendritic copper current collector showed low voltage hysteresis with stable performance without any short circuit problem. A long cycle life of 500 h was achieved in a symmetric cell which also showed excellent performance in full cell cycling performance.